Saturday, June 22, 2013

The calm before the storm

That's how these last few days feel to me. July is going to be a flurry of non-stop activity. Every summer I think we're as busy as we've ever been and that surely next summer we'll make it a point to slow down, but we just seem to find ways to keep ourselves as busy as we can possibly be. The other night I realized that it's probably not as much circumstantial as much as it is both of our personalities. We seem to have a knack for finding busyness.

A week from today I'll be headed to Ghana for two weeks on a medical mission, followed by one thing after another from then until the end of July. I'm sure I won't be doing much blogging or much of anything really, other than just trying to keep my head above water. I thought I'd quickly catch up the blog on some of our most recent happenings.

Of all the manly things my husband does, things like this are the most attractive to me- playing 10+ rounds of Princess Candyland with his daughter.

Several months ago another stake in our area asked Dennis if he would help them do a trek like the one our ward did, along the same trail. In all honesty, I had been a little frustrated that he was going to be taking a week off work to volunteer his time when so much of his time off already goes to church responsibilities. About a month ago, we decided that instead of me staying home pouting (which is sadly what I probably would have done), that we would take the kids and make it a family activity. Dennis crafted our own light-weight custom handcart for our family to take along the trail. He added suspension to the cart which made it surprisingly easier to pull.

It was an amazing week despite the snow and freezing temperatures that we had to brave for a good part of the time. My children were resilient and strong, and they made me one proud momma. I was especially proud of my Camden, who on the first day pulled the handcart 9 long miles by my side, along extremely difficult and rocky terrain. Most of the grown men couldn't pull more than a mile or two before they had to stop and rest, and my little Camden pulled right along side me the entire day. It chokes me up to think of how my little boy was such a man that day.

My amazing children trekked 28 miles over 4 days, with the two oldest walking almost the entire way.

One of the leaders, whose job was to set the pace, let Lauren ride along on his horse. It was the highlight of the trip for her. She asked me to tie her bandana around her neck like a "real cowgirl."

My little Lauren's birthday party with three of her little buddies.

A group of friends and I ran the Sawtooth Relay in early June- 62 miles from Stanley to Ketchum, along the breath-taking Sawtooth Mountain Range.

My little Calista turned 2. As we sang her the "Happy Birthday" song, she shushed us the entire time.

My little Luke graduated from kindergarten. That kid... I have a feeling I'm in big trouble when he hits his teens.

As much as Dennis loves how much Calista is a daddy's girl, it gets a little frustrating for him when he can't even use the restroom without her wailing outside the door. These two have a very sweet and special bond.

And last but not least, I have to share a quick funny from Luke. On one of the days during the trek when it was particularly cold, with a constant downpour of rain and snow, I sat in the tent with the kids trying to pass the time. I took turns asking them what their ideal Saturday would be. Camden said he would want a breakfast of eggs and toast, followed by a trip to the toy store. In the afternoon he would have a friend over, and then he would end the day with a family movie night.

I asked Luke next and he said simply, "I'd rob a bank." Then he corrected himself. "Well first, I guess I'd tie up the policeman and then rob the bank. Then I'd spend all the money on Pokemon cards." Oh my goodness... should I be worried???

2 comments:

Oh Rita, your family is so dang great! I love reading about how all of you are doing. Ghana sounds like it will be amazing. Have so much fun and hopefully we'll get to see your family sometime soon! :)